1916 serial number

[Guest rlbleeker]

Can anyone tell me, or better yet show me, exactly where the serial number should be on a '16? I know it's supposed to be on an oval plate somewhere under the left headlight. I can't find such a plate or any evidence it ever existed.

[Guest GP Gleason]

My serial number book says on Buick models through 1918: "on plate on left side of frame". I had a '17 Buick and if I remember correctly it had small, oval shaped plate riveted to the frame on the left side near the front..... maybe under the splash apron metal.

[Mark Shaw]

Try this site and scroll down to locate frame & serial numbers.

http://members.aol.com/buickohv/ars.htm

[Guest rlbleeker]

I've looked over the left front frame rail and can't find anything. I assume the oval plate would have been riveted to the frame as gaugeguy remembers, and would expect I should find some evidence if it had been removed or rusted away. I'll check the left rear also, possibly it is a later chassis?

[Guest GP Gleason]

Try this. Here is a photo of my '17 as it sat in the salvage yard. Look closely and you can see the plate!

[Guest rlbleeker]

Thanks! I'll take a close look tonight.

[Guest rlbleeker]

I have found where the tag was mounted, unfortunately it is long gone.

[Guest GP Gleason]

Well crapola!

One more try.

My book says the engine serial numbers for 1916 models started at 144,729 and ended prior to 254,502 (last number is for 1917 for sure.)

A number smaller than 144,729 would be earlier than 1916 and larger than 254,502 would be 1917 & later.

I am otherwise out of ideas!

do you have a good title for it?

[Guest rlbleeker]

I have an old title for it and that matches the engine number which is 179 something. That should make it a '16 which is what the title says. I need to take it for a VIN inspection, so wanted to know where all the numbers are. In addition to the engine number, there is a tranny number that's 180 something and the differential has a 190 something on it.

[Guest GP Gleason]

I don't know how it is in Washington, but in Idaho, if you installed a plate where it was supposed to be and use the engine serial number on it, the State would accept your number as long as there was not another same make & model car with the same number you are using.

Good luck!

[Dandy Dave]

David Corbin may be able to help with engine serial number to see what the frame number may have been or what block of numbers it may have been. Right now he is at Hershey sharing all his information with fellow Buick fans. I met him there several days ago as he explaining about the compilation of information. The frame number is in the same place on my 1915 C-36 also. Dave!

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear RL:

Post the number on the title and I can probably help you. If it matches the stamped motor number, you're in luck, as many states used the engine number as the VIN in the early days. Title year can also be a bit confusing, as some states used the year in which the car was first registered, as opposed to the manufacturer's model year.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Dandy Dave:

It was great to see you at Hershey. I'm glad you got to see the "Book", so you can now see why I can answer most of the frame/engine number kind of questions we have here.

By the way, the very nice 1906 Buick that was there DID have a frame number, much to the owner's amazement. The Book says it's a very early 1907, the earliest 1907 I've seen, so a title as a 1906 isn't surprising. Also, Buick had some overlap mixing of frame numbers from one year to the next(What I refer to as the Dave Chambers Effect after the great Buick historian of 30-40 years ago who first wrote about this mixing.), so it could also be a 1906.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest rlbleeker]

I think the engine number is 179804. All three numbers (engine, transission, differential) are within about 1000. I'm familiar with the title year issue, my Marquette is titled as a '29.

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear RL:

179804 is an engine number for 1916 that would be mid-year and for a D44, D45, D46, or D47. If your car is one of these, tell me which model it is and I can narrow the frame number range for you. The range of engine numbers in Buick's records for your car ran from 177735 to 191734, so your engine is fairly early in the group, which should enable me to give you a close estimate of your frame number.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest rlbleeker]

Hi Dave,

I don't know what model the car was. It is a right hand drive chassis and has a speedster type body now. I'm trying to find some history on the car but not having much luck. I know it spent at least some time in Chile. Would it likely have been bodied in the US? The current body is fairly professional looking but has no data plate that I can find. It appears to be framed in mahogany, which would imply it was built in South America. Some of the hardware, like the door latches look like they may be Buick parts, possibly salvaged from the original body? I am not experienced with early cars, so can't identify bits such as that. Any insight you may have would be appreciated.

Ryan

[Dandy Dave]

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Quote:</div><div class="ubbcode-body">It is a right hand drive chassis.... </div></div>

Very rare and very cool

Sounds like an export car to me. I bet that will help narrow it down. All domestic Buicks were left hand drive after 1912 or 1913. Dave!

[Guest rlbleeker]

Yes, I think '14 and later domestic Buicks are left hand drive. Chile was "drive on left" until sometime after WWI, so it could have been this car's original destination.

[Guest DaveCorbin]

Dear Ryan:

With that speedster body, I'm going to guess that it was originally a DX45 export touring car. Based on the fact that the 3rd release of this DX45 model was only 100 cars which were assigned frame numbers from 165467 to 165566, and your engine is early in the right engine number block, I would expect that the frame number of your car was around 165480, with an estimated error of +/- about 10.

Hope this helps.

Regards, Dave Corbin

[Guest rlbleeker]

Thanks Dave. I seems like a read somewhere that Buick had an office/representative in Argentina in 1916, which was a "drive on left" country at that time. So most likely that was it's original destination? My guess is that it was converted in the late 20's.

[DBT]

Dates for the interested:

Argentina : Had a drive on the left rule until the end of the second world war. The change in the rule of the road occurred at 6am on Sunday the 10th June 1945. This was driven it is believed by pressures from the Pan American Union to align Argentina to the wider Latin American community and a drift away from previously strong ties with the UK.

Chile : As far as can be seen was always a drive on the right country.

Other Latam countries that 'converted'

Uruguay: 2 Sept 1945 [L to R]

Belize: 1 Oct 1961 [L to R]

Panama: 15 April 1943 [L to R]

Otherwise the rest always used a drive on the right rule.

Hope this helps!

Regards

David

[Guest rlbleeker]

Wikipedia says that parts of Brazil and Chile were drive on left prior to WWI, don't know if that's accurate or not. I can't imagine the trouble switching sides would cause, or course not as many people drove back then.